by Rod Hughes

Joaquín Fargas is something of a Renaissance man. A Argentinian resident of this country, he is an engineer and artist who has turned his hand to teaching about the fragile balance of plant and animal that sustain life on this planet.
He constructed 50 enclosed transparent globes of varied sizes, some small enough to be cradled the the palm of one’s hand, serving as a wordless metaphor of the natural recycling of life-giving substances on this planet. Each is partially filled with water from one of the lakes in INBioparque in Costa Rica as part of a project named Biosfera 2007. Some of the spheres are located in public places, reoports the daily La Nacion, while others are given to selected persons who must care for the globes “as if it were a child,” says the newspaper.
The idea is not new–some 500 biospheres are already in place in Buenos Aires and the terrarium for plants was popular in Europe and the United States early in the 20th century. But these spheres contain tiny plants and animals and can also contain gnats and mosquitos and can remain viable for at least two years. The paper reports that one he has made has already turned four years and is going strong.
Fargas (the spelling of his surname is correct) told the paper, “It’s a very concrete metaphor and useful in explaining the carbon and nitrogen cycles necessary for living beings on our planet. This is art, but has a great mission in spreading scientific knowledge. Each sphere contains a minute but complete ecosystem.” For now the biospheres are on view in museums and parks but will also soon be given to schools and businesses in Costa Rica.